Do clothes make the woman?
An ultimate fashionista, girl boss, and all-around badass Sophia Amoruso once said, “Clothing is ultimately the suit of armor in which we battle the world.”
She should know. Amoruso founded the clothing company Nasty Gal and, by the age of 30, she was praised by the likes of Forbes, Fortune, and Inc. for her business acumen and her growing a $350 million company. While she might have lost it all shortly thereafter, she ultimately rose from the ashes and founded her own media company where she helps other women redefine success. And you better believe she never lost her style.
What I’ve learned from her story is that clothes matter; they give you influence. And if you look like you have it together, people will buy what you are selling.
Every morning, or sometimes even the night before, I check my schedule to see what’s ahead and I pull my work clothes together to dress for my day. What is the image I want to project? How do I want to be perceived? I may not be in sales, but I’m always selling my ideas, initiatives and well… myself.
With more and more (but not enough) women in top leadership positions, we’re starting to see fashion come back to the workplace. I work for a fairly conservative “corporate” company, but thankfully my female leaders are wonderful role models when it comes to workwear. They don bright colored dresses, frilly, feminine blouses, beautiful jewelry, and heels. Their hair is done, they wear makeup, and accessorize with bold glasses and nail colors. I’m delighted to say that there usually isn’t a pair of pantyhose in the bunch.
““You can have anything you want in life if you dress for it.” ”
I wonder how long it took my female leaders to feel comfortable and confident enough to wear such beautiful clothes as they climbed the corporate ladder… after all, feminine and powerful are rarely adjectives both used by men to describe the same woman. While no male leader has had to worry about such issues, there are entire classes plus guides from Forbes for women on how to dress like a leader. There are social media influencers bringing in the dough with their #ootd inspirations.
Thankfully, we are at a point now where we can pretty much wear whatever we want to work, unlike the generations of women who came before us. For years they walked out of the house and went to jobs where their dress code was determined by the male managers they reported to.
All completely legal.
Pantyhose? Required.
Heels expected. Never wear flats.
Men wear pants, women may not.
Women wear dresses or skirts – period.
Makeup and tidy hair required.
Taking back our power
As more women assume leadership roles, the more power we have over what we wear and how we are viewed in the workplace. When I put on a professional and fashionable outfit for my corporate job with heels and my hair and makeup is on point, I feel like I’m unstoppable. When I look good, I feel good, and I wear these things because I want to -- not because I have to. I might look feminine, but I am powerful because I have a choice about dressing my body.
In the decades before women were represented in corporate leadership, we didn’t have a voice, a place at the table, and the ability to wear what we wanted to wear. Social norms took a long time to make a dent in corporate structures. Think about Joan and Peggy even as times changed from Sterling Cooper to Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.
Now, in more and more professions, we get to help make the rules and show that being feminine -- or not -- is just fine. Gone are the days where most women have to wear heels, pantyhose, or dresses in the workplace. The exceptions we can think of are law offices, courtrooms, and high finance where they are still de rigueur. Now, in most workplaces, we are better able to choose to do it -- or not. Want to pair sneakers with that dress? Cool. Prefer tights and a cute bootie? Neat. Dresses over suits for court? Sounds very vintage RBG.
I wonder though, how long before women will feel comfortable wearing what their true selves would choose, especially as they pursue top leadership roles. In many ways, our sisters and mothers have made room for the rest of us to grow, flourish, and really make our marks on the company, whether they’re in pussy bow blouses a la 9 to 5 or oversized jackets with padded shoulders out to there.
““Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak.” ”
Yes, it matters what you wear. In some offices, casual has become a badge of honor and the dressed-up women feel equally out of place as hoodied ladies might have thirty years ago. But, if your armor for the day is a suit, dress, skirt, flats, sneakers, denim, leather leggings, or trousers -- confidence in your look, style, and substance is key. When we look confident, we’re more likely to feel confident. (Editors note: To quote RuPaul, the rest is drag.)
